Worker Education and Social Inquiry in Australia 1913-1929
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izfufrt WORKER EDUCATION AND SOCIAL TNQUIRY IN AUSTRALIA 1913-1929 FIelen Bourke B .4. (lt{e1b . ) Thesis subnitted for tire Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History, University of Adelaide, Februa.ry 1981 . \ry.8.4. SERIES I)conontic, Polilical, ancl Social Stuclies, tprilten in Auslraliø and Neu Zealand Gener¿rl Etlitor - G. V. POIITUS, À{.Â., B.Litt, No. l.-"Dcr no(:r(r(:!t u,,u ,rìãi." by F)lton Mayo, M.4., Iabb Professor of Psychology and Ethics in the University of Qucclsland. No.2.-"'I'hc Nr'ru Socir¿l Order," .,1 Study of I'ost Wur Rrcon- struction, by Meredith Atkinson, M.A,., latc Director of 'l'utorial Classcs, and Member <.¡f bhe Professorial Iìoard, [,I¡¡ivclsity of Melbourne. No. 3.-"I/istory of Trade Unioni¡ttt itt ¡lusl.ral.'t¡t," by ,I. T. Sukliffc, Scclctary to the Fedcral Government's llasic Wage Cornmission, 1920. No, 4.-"rlfo1'x attd Illodern Thought," by G, V. Portus, ll.A., B,l,itt.. Director of TuLorial Classes and Lecturer in llconorrir: Ilistoly in the Universily of Sytìney. No. õ.-r'ìIodtrn Iìco'ttotttic Hislorl¡" (with Special Refe¡cnce to Austrnlia), by llerbert Heaton, M,4., M.Comm., Litt.D,, late LecLule¡ in Economics and Director of Tutorisl Classos, University of Adelaide, No. 6.-"rl Nt'ut Prouince lor Law a¡td. Order," a Review, by its late Presidcnt, of the work of the Australian Court of Conciliation and Arbit¡ation for fourtcen years. By Henry Bournes Higgins, M.,{,, LL,B., Justice of the High Court of Australia, and President of the Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, 190?-1921. No. ?.-"S/¿¿dnus and Rcalíties ol Gooentnterll ," atr Introduc- tion to the study of the organisation of the adminis- trative agencies <¡f Government. By F. A. Bland, M.4., LL.B., Lecturel in Public Administration and Assista¡rt Directt¡r of Tutorial Cìaises, University of Sydncy. No. 8.-",,1 Lilt ol gociely," an Irttroduction to the study of Citizr:nshiþ. By-J. B. Condìiffe, lVI.A., Professor of Econonrics, Cantcrbury College (N.2.), with an lntro- duction by James Hight, M,4., Lìtt.D. No. 9.-"rl Study in. Social Econondcs: ßitter Vollet¡,"'t,y F. R. E. Mauldon, B.À. r Iæc- tul'cr in Eionolnics in tJre Universit e, and lalc l)istrict Tutor for the Univcrs in the Hunter Rivcr Valìey, N.S.W, 111 CONTENTS Sumrnary 1V Statement v1 Acknowledgments vii Abbreviations 1X Note on spelling X Preface 1 Part One Chapter 1 Transplanting a Movement 8 Chapter 2 Australian Labour and the New Social Order: the W.E.A. Diagnosis 29 Part Two Chapter 3 Meredith Atkinson: Sociology in Australia 53 Chapter 4 Garnet Vere Portus: rrControversial Educationrr 94 Chapter 5 Francis Arnand Bland: The Science of Governrnent L26 Chapter 6 George Elton Mayo: Psychology and Society 161 Chapter 7 Douglas Berry Copland: Economics and the Social Sciences 196 Part Three Herbert Heaton: Hobart, 1914-1916 Herbert Heaton: Adelaide, 1917-1925 Herbert Heaton: Economícs and Politics Conclusion 518 Bib 1 io graphy 325 1V, SUMMARY One of the aims of this thesis has been to restore a forgotten chapter j-n the intellectual development of modern Australia. The period which it spans, 1913 to 1929, has as yet received little attention except frorn the historians of Australiars participation in the First Wor1d ltlar. It is a common but untested assumption that these were j-ntellectually ancl culturally sterile years but I would contend that this was a period of important transitions and some significant beginnings with regard to the developnent of social inqulry in Australia and to the introduction of the social sciences into Australian universities. This thesis argues that an inportant shape and stimulus was given to these advances by the operations of the Workersr Educational Association, a British novement translated to Australia from Britain in 1914. The intellectuals who were the key figures in the ltr.E.A.?s early phase - Meredith Atkinson, G.V. Portus, F.A. B1and, Elton Mayo, D.B. Copland and Herbert Heaton - contributed to the education of Australia's social democracy in a way that was broader, and perhaps more encluring, than the imrnediate task of worker education. Their dual role in the university and in the community enabled them to develop their own social science fields within the academy and, outside its wa11s, to attempt the function of intellectuals in public 1ife, forning the public intelligence that they believed was crucial to true democracy. The business of worker education was central to this intellectual activity because it requíred the study of contenporary Australia, of her economic and political and industrial arrangements, if the worker was to understand hi-s position both as a wage-earner and a citizen. Thus the social sciences of economics, economic ìristory, political science, sociology and social psychology were the basic diet of worker education tutorial classes. Between 1919 and 1926, the w.E.A. gïoup undertook, for Australian students, a remaTkable series of publications expllcitly labelled I'economic, social and political studiesrr. These and other publications are discussed as important events in the intellectual chronology of Australia. I have exanined the social theory and the ethical content of this work, explicating their critique of Australiars social order and political econorny. The w.E.A. ideology has been explored through the treatment of class conflict and the "industrial problem'r which presented the central challenge to worker education. This thesis is organised around separate studies of the main figures in an attempt to situate their ideas and work in a sociological context and to illuminate the intellectual career and its interaction with the comrnunity. By the mid-twenties, this pioneering phase was over: half of these men had left Australia while tlie others remained to assist the professionalisation of the social sciences they had been j-nstrumental in founding. I have suggested that in all this endeavour during these years the maj or threads in the rnoder:n analyses of AustraLia were first drawn out under the inpetus of worker education of and those whose academic apprenticeship r{as served in its cause. v]-1. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Since the nain archival materials for this thesis had been onl,v recently deposited in the libraries, there was a special effort needed from library staffs to make the collections accessible in a short time. I am grateful to Mrs Maxine Clapp of the University of Minnesota Archives, to Mr G.L. Fischer of the University of Sydney Archives, and to Mr Michael Piggott at the National Library of Australia for their assistance. Mrs Fay Richardson made available the IV.E.A. Files in the Department of Adult Education at the University of Sydney. I also received valuable help from those in charge of the Files and Records of the Universities, of Melbourne and Adetaide and from Mr Frank Strahan of the Melbourne University Archives. For their permission to use rnaterials, and for their interest, I would like to thank Mrs Marjorie Heaton and Brigadier and Mrs Joyce Tier. lt{r K.A. Gteen, archivist of the C.S.I.R.O., lr{r N.A. Parsloe of the Canterbury W.E.A., Mr L. Urwick and Professor F. Alexander responded generously to my inquiries. Professor ll/.G.K. Duncan and Mr W.R. Crocker kindly discussed the proj ect with me in its early days. I am indebted to all those who have been involved in various stages of the supervision of this thesis: to Dr John Tregenza, to Professor Austin Gough and, in particular, to Mr Hugh Stretton for his guidance and constructive criticisrn. I have had the benefit of the joint supervision provided by Dr F.B. Smith from the Australian National University and I must record my deep appreciation of the conscientious attention he has given my work. My typist, Nlrs Judy Dutton, is owed special thanks for her co- operation and ski11 in the final preparation of the thesis. v111. Mr James llain and Dr Robert Dare have both cheered me with their help and encouragement but it has been the support of my husband, paul Bourke, which has sustained this work. 1X ABI]REVIATIONS A.A.A.S. Australasian Association for the Advancement of science A.J.P.P. Ar.rstralasian .Journal of psychology and philosophy A.S.C.I. Advisory Council for Science and Industry B.C.S. Board of Comnercial Studies, University of Adelaide B.H.A.S. Broken Hill Associated Smelters C.E.M.R. Chemical Engineering and Mining Review C.S. U. Christian SociaL Union D.A.E. Department of Adult Education, Llniversity of Sydney I .A.M. S. Industrial Australian and Mining Standard I.P.R. Institute for Pacific Relations L.S.R. M. Laura Spelrnan Rockefeller Menorial L.S.E. London School of Economics M.U.A. Melbourne Universi"ty Archives r N. L.A. National Library of Australia P .Q.S . Public Questions Society S.A.A. South Australian Archives, State Library S. U,A. Sydney University Archives U.D.C. Union of Democratic Control W. E.A. Workersr Educational Association Y.Nf.C.A. Young Ments Christian Association X Note: Dealing with a period in which the spelling convention was changing, I have chosen to retain ilLabour'r throughout. I have also attempted to mininise capitalisation - as in 'rprofessor of economics, or ,chair of commercer - but it has proved difficult to make consistent decisions in this area. PREFACE 1 At the end of the lrirst world war, an expatïiate Australian sociologist, Clarence Hunter Northcott, appraised Australia's develop- ment in language that had by then become comrnonplace in the accounts of the curious travellers, the fårcign students of denocracy and the social investigators who came to explore the new society in the Antipodes.